1. God’s Covenant with Abram
Genesis 15:1-21
God’s Covenant with Abram

2. Main Themes or Messages World Behind the Text
Establishing the foundational identity of the People
of Israel and Covenant relationship between Israel
and YHWH their God.
The passage reflects many details of the everyday
life, customs, and beliefs of a tribal, agricultural and
nomadic people in a period around 2500 – 2300 BCE.

3. Where is it situated?
Genesis 15:1-21 is situated in the first book of the
Pentateuch (Torah) in the section dealing with the
patriarchal history ie the foundational identity of the
people of Israel.
Genesis 15:1-21 is placed between Abraham’s call
and response (chs. 12–14) and Abraham’s final acts
(23:1—25:11).

4. This section is in turn composed of three narrative cycles (Abraham-Isaac, 11:27—25:11; Isaac-Jacob, 25:19—35:29; 37:1; Jacob-Joseph, 37:2—50:26), interspersed by the genealogies of Ishmael (25:12–18) and Esau (ch. 36).

5. The World of the Text Structural Features
Literary background is complex and debated.
Compiled from a number of sources, by numerous
authors over a long period of time.
Texts in Genesis have been edited at particular
points in time in response to historical events and
the perspectives of particular authors.

6. As part of Genesis, it is not conclusive who the
authors are.
Contemporary thought is that it is most likely from
the Priestly source.
After the deportation of many of the people of Israel to Babylon, the priests re-read and re-interpreted the traditions of the Pentateuch to sustain the faith and hope of an exiled people (See summary of Authors of the Pentateuch)

7. Author’s Purpose The authors want their people to hold on to their
faith.
faith and hope in the two promises ie many
descendants and land.

8. The authors think of God as controlling everything.
Whatever has happened in their history must have
been intended by God and so must be consistent
with God’s promises and God’s design for them.

9. Text Type It is a narrative. It is the beginning of the first of
three narrative cycles
(Abraham-Isaac, 11:27—25:11).
As well as a narrative, it is a reflection on history,
dressed up as a prophecy (Gen 15:13-16).

10. Narrative Features Introduction
Introduction is Genesis 15:1-6 dealing with the promise
of descendants.

11. Righteousness in context
It has the oldest and most profound statement
concerning the significance of faith. “And he
believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him
as righteousness.”
(Gen15:6) Abram was wise as to what is according to
God’s will.

12. Narrative Body God and Abram enter into a Covenant relationship.
(Gen 15:7-16).
The Covenant is ratified in a religious ceremony
giving it solemn significance.
The Covenant promises blessings, including land,
prosperity and the promise of fertility and numerous
descendants.

13. Some Literary Features
(Gen15:1-2) The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision –
Highly significant as the appearance of a deity to a human is
rare in the OT.
‘After these things’ ie the conquest of the invading kings.
‘The word of the Lord’ ie a phrase used, when connected
with a vision, to denote a prophetic message.

14. (7-11) The idea of cutting the animals in two and
walking between them is to demonstrate that
the person making the commitment is calling
down upon himself the fate of the animals if he
does not keep his word.

15. Tension is added by the presence of vultures but
Abram drove them away.
(Gen 15:17-21) YHWH offers the same solemn assurance when ‘a dark smoking pot’ and
‘a flaming torch’ passed between these pieces.
Both of these a sign of God’s presence.

16. Narrative Conclusion (Gen15:18-21) ‘On that day the Lord made a
covenant with Abram’. The gift of the Promised
Land … on which the people of Israel base their
hopes on.

18. World in Front of the Text
Abram/Abraham is often called “Our Father in
Faith”.
He is a model for Christians in their faith journey
because his response to God, entailed a willingness
to leave the security of the known and set out on
a journey into the unknown.

19. Abram/Abraham reminds us that it is necessary to
step outside our comfort zone in order to live our
faith.
This requires faith. God is the giver. We cannot
earn God’s gifts. To receive them , however, we must
welcome them, for Love never forces itself upon us.
Faith is precisely the welcoming of Grace. We must do
as Abraham did.

20. What Does This Mean in our World Today?
Abraham is the “Father in Faith” to Jewish and Islamic
religions too.
In Abraham, Christians, Jews and Muslims find a
common ancestor.
In our times, as in the past, prejudice, misunderstanding,
discrimination and even violence have too often
characterized relations between the three Abrahamic
religions.

21. What Does This Mean in our World Today?
Christians, Jews and Muslims as “children of
Abraham” need to draw on their common religious
heritage, to break down barriers and to build a
more peaceful and just world.

22. Achievement Standard By the end of Year 9, students demonstrate how
the application of Biblical criticism helps the
reader's understanding, interpretation and use of
Old Testament and New Testament texts. They
examine the divergent understandings of God,
(Allah, God, G*d) in the monotheistic religions
(Islam, Christianity and Judaism).